Monitor & Case Selection

These were the two focal points of this build. Most of the mods were to accommodate the monitor actually fitting in the case. Picking a monitor was pretty easy. I wanted an LCD with very narrow trim around the edges, so I got the Acer AL1916WAbd. For the price, you can’t beat the specs.

As for the case, I looked for weeks at all my different options. I even tried making one out of a hard-sided suitcase, which is a whole different work log in and of itself. At last, my eyes fell upon the Lian Li PC-A05B! At first I was skeptical because I had never heard of the company. That and Newegg’s spec sheet listed it as having only one 120 fan, which is a lie. However, it was smaller than most mid-towers because the PSU is down in the front and it seemed to be long enough to fit my monitor. So I decided to research it and that’s when I came across this forum thread at [H]ard|Forum.

At the time of this worklog, the thread had 110 pages and 2,100+ posts and they’re all about the PC-A05B! Skimming through several pages I became hooked. I ordered it and went back to reading the thread. When the case arrived, I found out what everyone was raving about. This is the nicest case I’ve owned. It’s also the most expensive case I’ve owned, so take that for what it’s worth. Regardless, the PC-A05B has a solid frame. It’s all aluminum, but the metal is twice as thick as my old case and my old one was only $20 cheaper.

Making a plan

My plan: Build the monitor into the case in such a way that the side panel could still go back on. This would make the system less fragile during car rides and also hide the screen during normal use with my TV. I first set about making sure the monitor would fit in my new case. I had actually purchased the monitor before I found a case (I know, I know!) and therefore only had its rough dimensions provided by Newegg to go off of. Upon inspection, I found two problems.

1. First, the dimensions I had used were for the outside length of the case and not the length of the side opening. I had completely forgotten about the offset of the front bezel. This meant that the monitor was a few centimeters too wide on either side to fit in the side opening! In the end, I decided to shed the needed width by taking the black plastic cover off the monitor. (more details below)

2. Secondly, the HDD cage and both fans blocked the monitor from fitting inside the case completely. Based on page 77 of the PC-A05B thread, I drilled out the HDD cage rivets and removed it. Then it was a simple matter of moving both fans to the outside of the case and I was good to go.